"Deserves to be heard - as does every atrocity committed here"

Georgina Reeves of Indymedia Palestine
3 June 2002

Bethlehem diary 28 May-3 June

Monday 3rd June, 2002
No tanks overnight, just the planes screeching overhead.

I got an email from a friend a few minutes ago. As she said, it is one story in thousands but deserves to be heard, as does every atrocity committed here:

"I am so angry and upset about what I just heard, but it is just another story in 1000s.

It is taking a friend of mine and his sister about 3 to 5 hours a day just to return home from work. They have totally closed the checkpoint between Ramallah and Jerusalem and they have had to get 6 taxis over the hills.

Just now he called me. They shot a man dead in front of him and his sister who was taking the same route as them. He is too angry, shaken and frightened now and he thinks he will have to give up his work. Maybe tomorrow it would be him or his sister instead of this poor man whose family probably don't even know he is dead yet.

I don't know what to say."

And Israel has the audacity to call Palestinians 'terrorists'... Will the world ever wake up to what is happening here? I cannot believe the politicians are so ignorant that they do not know what Israel is doing.

And as they encircle Bethlehem and other districts with barbed wire and trenches they continue to steal Palestinian land, build their colonies and settler by-pass roads, destroy olive groves, demolish homes, beat, kill and oppress.

Sunday 2nd June, 2002
The usual rumours abound. Tomorrow, apparently, is the next re-invasion of Bethlehem. As my scepticism last time proved to be groundless and the Israeli forces did in fact come back in on the 25th, as predicted, I feel that I should at least pay some notice this time. In fact, even after the withdrawal last Thursday they were back in on Friday night for a few hours, so it is not unreasonable to expect them again, especially as there are still Bethlehemites that are 'wanted'. Still, I can't imagine that anyone who knows they are a target will be anywhere near their homes or the area. We'll see, there was a helicopter flying over a little earlier .........

Eight more internationals have been arrested, this time whilst in Balata refugee camp, Nablus. They were taken last night to Ariel police station and have now been transfered to holding cells at Ben Gurion airport, presumably in an effort to deport them quickly. There is quite an issue surrounding these detentions, as well as with the previous detainees who were deported, as they were all in area 'A', Palestinian controlled territory.

Thursday 30th May, 2002
Walked to Beit Sahour to go and visit friends and have a hot meal - the first this week! As I got to Manger Square there was quite a commotion. A local man who recognised me came and spoke to me. Appatrently, a young girl from Beit Sahour, who is "crazy" (his words) had walked in to the square with a small knife and had been arrested. They asked me to go and speak to the soldiers to see what was happening.

The soldiers and border police were quite happy to talk to me and all wanted their photos taken. I asked what had happened and what was going to happen to the girl. The Colonel told me she had a big knife, the locals said it was a fruit knife, and that she had tried to attack one of his men. I asked if I could see her but he refused and told me she was under arrest and that she was to be taken to the Russian Compound. the notorious police station in Jerusalem. He did at least write down her name for me so I called friends in Beit Sahour to try and notify the family what had happened.

Wednesday 29th May, 2002
Despite the strong rumours yesterday, the army are still here and do not look as if they will be going anywhere fast. Another 3 days is the expectation. The curfew was lifted form 11.00 until 15.00 across the district. I went out earlier to avoid the rush! Still, by the time I got to Beit Sahour the streets were choked with cars and people. The shop was mobbed and everyone was buying frantically. Everyone was, and is, very, very fed up. There were 3 APC's opposite the internet cafe, which was shut, so I took a few photos of the soliders lounging and a few young boys daring to go near.

Went home eventually and received an email from a friend who is Jenin. They have had daily incursions, rather than a full takeover like here. I haven't cried about anything for ages, but this account of the tragic and unecessary death, or rather murder, of a 55 year old baker made me weep tears of anger, frustration and the most terrible and deep sadness.

"Hassan Shreem, 53, owns a bakery in Jenin City. On Tuesday morning around 3:30, he was walking from his house to the bakery to begin his work for the day. His walk to work was more dangerous on this day because the Israeli military came with jeeps, tanks, and APCs into Jenin and the Jenin Refugee Camp an hour earlier. Nonetheless, Hassan had to go to work to support his family in these most difficult times for the average Palestinian (more than half of the 3.2 million Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza now live below the poverty line and many of these have no income at all. This is due to the strict closures of the past year and a half imposed on all Palestinian villages and cities, which do not allow the people to move from city to city, even when they never cross Israeli territory).

As Hassan walked, he was shot by the soldiers in his leg. He fell to the ground, bleeding, screaming for help. His cries were heard and an ambulance attempted to rescue him. However, the soldiers would not allow the ambulance or anyone to get near to Hassan, so he continued bleeding in the street by himself. For three hours the Israeli military held back any help that tried to get to Hassan, shooting and hollaring at them. After these three hours, Hassan had lost too much blood and finally died.

It was clear that a gunshot wound in the leg was not life threatening. He could have been treated at the hospital and survived. He died due to the Israeli military forbidding any medical services to reach Hassan, a common practice in recent months of Israel's self-declared 'war on terrorism.'

Hassan was a bakery owner, a father, a brother, and a friend. He was not on anyone's wanted list. He makes bread for a living and died on the street alone.

This was the third time in 11 days the Israeli military has invaded Jenin and the Jenin Refugee Camp. The ruins of the camp remain from the massive operation of the Israeli military from 3-18 April and many people still do not know where there relatives are. Are they dead? Are they in prison? Are they still buried under the rubble? One-third of the camp lost their homes when over 800 of them were bulldozed, rocketed, or shelled. As to date, no one knows the total number of people killed in the camp or the number of missing persons, though estimates range from 3-400 and 120-150 respectively.

This is not a war on terrorism; this is a war on a civilian population to put down any resistance to Israeli's continued colonization of Palestine."

Tuesday 28th May, 2002
Woke up late to an almost silent Bethlehem. Did get a ridiculous 'hate' call at about 2.30am. "We know where you are," came the American voice down the phone. Sadly as I was half asleep I did not manage a snappy retort, but just hung up. I wonder what other pathetic things he had to say?

Went out on to my roof and noticed the nearby sniper position had gone. Jeeps slowly trundled by then the shelling started. About an hour of intermittent booms pulsed through the air and I watched thick, black smoke billow from a house down in the valley opposite me. A little shooting and that was that. I spent most of the day working on various projects for the Municipality and the Red Crescent, so didn't have time to notice that I wasn't supposed to go outside. At about 4pm I began to get a bit fed up so went and sunbathed on the roof instead.

One of my neighbours came up to say hi. He lives opposite and speaks English fairly well but not fluently so we had a few difficulties. After we dispensed with the usual how old are you and are you married, (urgh!) he went on to say that I was living in one of the most dangerous areas, and wasn't I scared. He was really concerned, especially as I am on my own. I tried to explain that I am sort of used to it and what I was doing during the last invasion but he didn't really understand. Still, it is nice to know people are concerned for my safety.

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